Acne Magazine

You’ve probably heard a lot about “anti inflammation” or anti inflammatories that naturally occur as a natural acne remedy or herbal acne remedy to be used to help quell what causes acne, which many times if rootly caused by hormones, but which is actually “carried out” by inflammation in the skin cells, which in turns causes those nasty little eruptions that you’re probably all too familiar with if you are reading this blog about acne. 

So, what are some naturally anti inflamation foods, juices, fruits and veggies that can help fight acne and other unsightly skin problems like rosacea and acne rosacea which are largely attributed to inflammation of the skin.  Well, one of the best is omega 3 oils, which are naturally heart protective and also tend to help the skin by reducing inflammation and promoting faster healing.  Anti oxidants are also often excellent anti inflammatory agents that go to work on free radicals, which cause their own form of destruction by going against the healthy skin cells that make your skin look great. 

Omega 3 oils can be found in supplements, such as fish oil supplements, but they can also be found in almonds, macedamia nuts, certain types of fish, acai berry (which also happens to be one potent antioxidant!), olives, olive oil and other foods that are a bit too numerous to mention here.  Those ones I mentioned are some of the best sources you will find for omega 3 essential oils though.

As far as antioxidants which also perform double duty as anti-inflammatories, there is the acai berry which is typically found growing wild in the Amazon forest, and elsewhere may be farmed, raspberries actually have a wonderful anti inflammatory property which is said to be almost akin to taking a pill for inflammation, only obviously much healthier, blueberries, strawberries, and dark leafy veggies - and by dark I mean the darker the better, and the more antioxidants!

Well, a study has confirmed what many have suspected and much inconclusive data has supports, and that is that women have more adult acne than men do.  Yeah- lucky us! 

The age group for women that were included in this obervational data were 20 years old and older, and this age group of women has substantially more indcidence of adult acne than men in this same age group.  People that fall into this category are having what’s considered post adolescent acne, and there are a couple of theories, many of which we’ve discussed in detail here on this blog, as to what the causes are for acne into adulthood.  Everything from stressors to diet and environment have been speculated on for the reason behind the increase in adult acne.

The purpose of the study, which was covered by a University, was to figure out how extensively acne, a very common skin condition, only to greatly varying degrees in its patients, occured in adults once they had passed that hormonally volatile stage of their teens.  The women surveyed with a much higher rate of acne incidence to the survey given to both men and women, so their research concluded that women were much more likely to suffer adult acne. 

They are also hoping to do further reasearch on the hormonal reasons for women having the higher incidence of adult acne, since it is obviously of some sort of hormonal significance, and that this study can then lead to new and different treatments for adult acne, using perhaps some sort of hormone therapy or drugs that modify the hormone activity in the body safely.

Another interesting note on this survey/study is that most people did report that although they still had acne, that their acne had significantly improved since their teen years. 

I went shopping today, and it made me think about how harsh flourescent lighting is such a terrible thing all the way around. Not only is it hard on your eyes (we also have this type of industrial lighting at work and I work on a computer screen all day), but some people think it’s drying to the skin, and the obvious point is that flourescent lighting is not flattering to anyone looks wise.  How many times have you looked at your skin in the mirror in flourescent lighting and said “gee, I feel really pretty today”?

That never happens, especially since flourescent lighting typically brings out every flaw in our skin, including rough texture, redness (especially redness and ruddiness, any acne lesions and bumps and acne scarring).  It’s all put under a gigantic magnifying glass when we are under flourescent lighting.  Supposedly flourescent lighting is more efficent and the bulbs last much longer than traditional softer lighting.

I myself prefer the soft light bulbs that GE puts out.  Not only do you just feel more relaxed and at ease in softer, non-harsh light (ehem, this alone is good for our skin and good for our soul), but you also look a hundred times better!  Hmm, wonder if someone could call for a ban on this horrendous lighting?  They’d get my backing!

This was a very disturbing story about an obviously quite disturbed young man in high school who is under serious suspicion (although his lawyer isn’t willing to contend he killed his girlfriend yet) of stabbing his young ex girlfriend to death while being treated with the acne drug Accutane, which has been linked in the past, although never definitively, to depression, suicidal thoughts and increases in agressive behavior. 

The story takes place in Pittsburgh PA, and it’s about a young man who was on the acne treatment drug and had broken up with his girlfriend.  The report is that he sent her a threatening text message the day before she was killed, and that witnesses report hearing loud screaming and fighting going on with the girl shouting “you stabbed me, i hate you” over and over and then collapsing in the arms of a neighbor who had come over, unconscious.  She died later of severe blood loss from a stab wound that was on her shoulder. 

The supposed young man who stabbed her, her ex boyfriend, had reportedly asked if he could be held accountable for a crime committed while he was on the acne drug accutane, so it made headlines that this drug could possibly have something to do with his state of mind during the murder he committed.  He also slashed his own throat. 

This is either a case that needs to be seriously looked at as a hazard to people with depression tendencies for accutane, or the fact that this person may be trying to escape accountability for a heinous crime because of a drug that he says had a hand in the murder. 

In studies on the ever increasing incidence of adult acne, something that unfortunately us adults also have to deal with now, most fingers are pointed at hormones as the culprit, not cosmetics or other environmental or external factors.  As far as I’m concerned, you all know that stress and anxiety most definitely affects my skin, and that has never changed for me, even into adulthood. 

I also find that certain caffeinated beverages and foods can trigger a breakout, but that is almost assuredly related to the fact that caffeine makes me overly nervous and anxious, which still in effect is what leads to the acne breakout.  Many herbal acne supplements are supposed to help curb this fluctuation, as well as medical acne treatments that inhibit androgens from over producing.   

Some people have been quick to place the blame on cosmetics and other skin care products, or other environmental factors, but the truth is, most breakouts I’ve experienced from cosmetics or other allergens that cause reactions are very different breakouts from a real “acne vulgaris” breakout where pimples originate deep within the skin and have a definitively different patter than just the minor “rash” types of breakouts.  At least this has been my personal experience, so I can’t speak for everyone on this point of course. 

The interesting fact is that significantly more women than men suffer from adult acne, and the thought is that this is because of hormones, because women continue to see hormonal fluctuations throughout their life while men only have them basically in their youth, or teen years, all thanks to a little thing called the menstrual cycle which dictates our hormones for us. 

I just read the most interesting article online, and it had to do with acne and food combining.  Well, acne was just one of the side effects that this article brought up, which was about the negative health effects that people experience when they combine foods improperly.  Food combining is not a new concept.  Actually, when I initially lost all my baby fat when I was about 16 years old in high school, I became fascinated by a book called “Fit for Life” which touted the benefits of proper food combining, and was by and large an advocate of vegetarianism and said that meats were the devil basically in the stomach. 

The advocate that talked about food combining in the article is named Herbert Shelton, who has written a book on proper food combining outlining why you should combine the right foods when eating, as well as what the food groups are that should be consumed together, how they chemically interact in the stomach, and what enzymes they require to digest called “Food Combining Made Easy”.

The principal is that improper food combining causes distress in the system that causes chain reactions and can give a person gas, intestinal problems, acne, and a host of other health issues.  By food combining, the principal is basically that you should not combine certain food groups together during one meal, such as meats and starches.  The specifics in the food groups are outlined in the various book advocating food combining, but in general it’s using common sense and only combining veggies with meats and fleshes. 

So basically the big no no is combining meats and starches or dairies and starches, which is basically a staple of the American diet - think cheeseburgers and pizza.  They’re all sorts of wrong according to the principal of proper food combining. 

I have to say that this does work for me personally.  I don’t practice it all the time, but I do find in practical application that when I combine foods I do experience increased gas and intestinal discomfort, so it definitely works as far that aspect goes.  I also believe this probably could help people with acne, since it reduces distress and inflammation on the body, and may also effect hormone activity.  Who knows, this could be one of the best natural acne treatments that can also help you in other facets of your life, including your weight, mood and health issues. 

I am trying out a new cleanser (well, new to me) by Aveeno.  It is a very reasonably priced facial cleanser that comes in one of my favorite forms - the foaming face wash, that comes out of the pump already foamed up and lathered for you, so you don’t have to really do any of the “work” to get it foaming and deep cleansing on your face. 

So far, I really like the way it’s making my face feel, but I’m also concerned because I seem to be breaking out for no apparent reason.  I do think  the breaking out part is due to nerves and stress from certain things I’m going through in my life right now, and it’s not the cleanser, but I’m also trying to lay off of it for a bit to figure out if that’s it.  I like the fact that Aveeno uses lots of the best natural acne treatment ingredients though. 

I was going to stop using it for a few days and start using the Neutrogena acne face wash again which I’m not a huge fan of because it feels like it’s drying out my skin, so I think I’ll do that and see if it’s the wash or my nerves.  I have a feeling it’s my nerves though.  By my age, you just get to know your skin so well that you can tell what brings on certain breakouts, and I’m pretty sure this is the type of breakout that is characterized by a stressful time in my life. 

The thing I really like about the Aveeno Clear Complexion foaming cleanser is that is uses salicylic acid as opposed to benzoyl peroxide, which I personally feel is more irritating to the skin and not as therapeutic an over the counter medicine for acne as salicylic acid.  Plus I like the fact that salicylic acid also performs double duty by providing some light exfoliation and can make the skin appear brighter and more alive on top of helping to combat acne. 

The Aveeno Clear Complexion foaming cleanser also smells great and leaves your face feeling clean, refreshed, and baby soft.  Overally, I’d say to give it a try if you’re in the market for a new acne cleanser.  If not, and you already have an effective cleanser that you like, by all means, stick with it!  Or you can wait til I figure out if this is what’s breaking me out or not….that might be good too! 

I’m pretty bummed, actually, that what I’ve always pretty much known to be true is actually really true still after all these years.  Sunscreens ALWAYS made my face break out when I was younger.  I thought maybe it might have been since when I was younger there used to be harsh additives to sunscreens, and a lot of those irritants have since been removed from common sunscreen, especially facial, but I really think I have a sensitivity to sunscreens that may not be all that common. 

I purchased a new moisturizer that has a 30 SPF in it.  It’s by Aveeno, and since I kind of like the acne wash I purchased by them, I figured I’d try another product in their “radiant” line.  So I bought the Radiant moisturizer with soy extract (good stuff usually) and an added benefit of having the extra sunscreen in it, in addition to the sunscreen my Bare Minerals makeup offers (which may not be full coverage as I’ve been told recently). 

I’ve only been using the Aveeno moisturizing cream for a few days now, but I noticed yesterday that I was getting small bumps on my chin, which is exactly where I get the acne bumps when I irritate my skin with stimulants, caffeine, and other things my skin rejects as toxins.  Well, the only common denominator is that I did have a small cup of coffee - and I mean SMALL at my moms two days ago, but that amount normally would not make my skin rough, and this time it either did, or my new moisturizer with 30 SPF is to blame. 

This is a shame that they can’t make sunscreen lotions for the face completely noncomedogenic.  I thought this one would have been but I may be wrong.  I’ll keep you posted on whether it’s the sunscreen or not.  Hopefully not since one of the best natural acne treatments is to stay out of the sunlight, which is contrary to what some may think!  Also, I owe you a review of the Aveeno foaming acne face wash, but I’m too tired to do that one now, so it’ll have to wait